Quote of the day

I had to “abandon ship” on a book I was trying to get through after two days. It is something that is very difficult for me to do. But I have read it before. Let me explain…

Tempted by the hype and buzz surrounding a book last year, I decided to give it a go. Liking it enough to give the sequel a chance and my pocket book a break, I decided to wait patiently in line at the library. When it was available I dropped all other reads and hunkered down. The beginning was wonderful and I got choked up reading it, really hopeful for the rest of the story. But as the story continued, I was very disappointed. Stunned, really. It was the exact same book as the first (told from the other main character’s point of view) with maybe an additional 50 original pages or so. I quickly skimmed through the book and closed it feeling nothing. Disappointment, yes. Frustration, yes. Confused, yes. Why even bother writing a sequel? Maybe a novella or release some additional chapters to fans via the author’s blog to thank all the loyal readers for supporting the first book.

Bottom line is that I agree wholeheartedly with James Bryce’s quote. I need to carry something away from a book after I finish it. It doesn’t have to be some scholastic type book where it feels like homework, but it does have to make me feel something. The genre is neither a deciding factor nor the cost. I have read some 99 cent chick-lit/romance books where my heart felt like it was going to burst through my chest. Even free offers from Amazon that reduced me to tears from laughing and/or crying so hard. Not to mention all the non-published beta reads whose originality and story will stay with me forever. Some books live up to their hype and I will never act “too cool” to jump on that bandwagon. But there are many other less familiar books and authors out there that blow me away. My point? Not really sure. Maybe I am on a bit of a soapbox since reading is special to me and one of the only ways I can get out of my head and escape for a few hours. This quote resonated at a time where I had to admit defeat and move onto something else and feel ok about it.